Grand Rapids disability advocate asks, do best intentions of home health care proposal belong in constitution?

Lillian Smith of Home Instead Senior Care curls LaVerne Johnson's hair on Friday, June 10, in Wyoming. Johnson, who is 95, lives with her daughter Linda Engelking and is visited by Smith three days a week. Engelking and her sister Judy Meulenberg of Jenison decided to care for Johnson themselves by moving her to Engelking's home in 2006 after she had suffered a stroke and developed dementia. "It's a 24-hour job, " Meulenberg said, " she devoted her life to us when we were young."
Emily Zoladz | MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Some of the ideas behind Proposal 4 are helpful – but they don’t belong in the state constitution, a West Michigan disability advocate says.

But supporters said the proposal would help the disabled and elderly by creating a registry of home health care workers, in addition to providing background checks and training for the workers.

The proposal also has drawn fire because it would force workers to pay union dues, considering them government employees because they are paid through Medicaid.

“The constitution just isn’t the place for this conversation,” said David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County, which is opposed to Proposal 4.

Ballot language written by the state Board of Canvassers states the measure would amend the state constitution to allow in-home care workers to bargain collectively with the Michigan Quality Home Care Council. The workers would continue with their current exclusive representative – the Service Employees International Union.

Michigan has about 40,000 people working as private citizens providing basic care to about 53,000 disabled people in their homes, often parents caring for children or adult children caring for elderly parents.

Bulkowski said the proposal would not provide more funding or options for care assistance.

“We are not against nursing homes,” he said. “But the same number of people will have home care. Everything remains the same, except the registry.

“As advocates, we would like to see the state put more money in home-based care – put more balance between institutionalized care and home-based care,” Bulkowski added.

Opponents say the proposal would only affect people through the Medicaid Home Help Program, and is not for all seniors or people with disabilities.

It is an effort by the Service Employees International Union to be able to collect union dues from Medicaid Home Help service providers, Bulkowski’s agency said in a press release earlier this month.

“It’s a pretty drastic measure when we have been fighting a long time for health care options,” Bulkowski said.

Proponents of the proposal say it would provide proper training and hold in-home care workers accountable with the creation of the registry with the Michigan Quality Home Care Council.

“Getting the proper care in there with the proper training is extremely important, especially when they’re working with the elderly,” said Bruce Schleanderer, president of Access of West Michigan, which supports Proposal 4. “Anything to do with home life, we’re behind 100 percent.”

Providing background checks on in-home care workers is one of the strong points of the proposal, Schleanderer said.

“They need to have patience and people who will care, listen and talk with those who need help,” he said. “Anything we can do as a community to improve the way people live, I think is a no-brainer.”

Tammy Finn, executive director of Arc of Kent County, said the proposal’s purpose is to establish a registry of home care providers – not forcing a unionization. ARC supports the proposal because it is expected to adequately link caregivers with those who need care, as well as provide thorough background checks.

“No one is forced into a union under this proposal,” Finn said. “The point of the proposal is to maintain and sustain a registry so that adults have more authority of who is caring for them and coming in their home – to direct their own care in their own homes.”

Brigit Hassig, executive director of the North Ottawa County Council on Aging in Grand Haven, said whether the proposal gets the thumbs up or down on Nov. 6, advocates need to “keep their eye on the prize” and are making sure older adults are getting the services they need.

“With any proposal, we want to make sure that the care adults receive is never less effective … or becomes less affordable than it already is,” Hassig said, noting the agency, like many other council on aging organizations across the state, have not issued a stance on the proposal.

“We want to provide information that is readily available for older adults so they can make their own decisions that will impact their care.”